Celebrating You

Last night we celebrated K's birthday. She's not a birthday hoopla kind of girl, but I still managed to work it a bit. I got some takeout sushi from our favorite place and surprised her with a gourmet meal on the couch. Her favorite kind. Then it was on to the movie theatre, because Juno is finally in town! This was such a fun movie. A good choice for the birthday girl. All of this fun and home by 10. Perfect!

2008 You Say???

How did this happen? I'm fairly certain that 2007 was one of the more eventful years of my life and as such, it feels that time has passed with alarming speed. Alarming for people like me who have records of their lives that date back to middle school (are there others out there??) and feel comforted by knowing how their days have been spent. Knowing what book I finished reading on an April Saturday in 1994 brings me a strange kind of peace. I can't explain it, I just know that it is true.

So.....I'm working on my record. I don't want to forget any of this. 2008 you say? It's on!

Whew.....

Mission accomplished! Team MOVE came together in a big way and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm a "do it all myself/I can handle this" kind of girl, so it's not easy for me to ask for help. It's not easy, but it is occasionally necessary and (if you are blessed enough to have the kind of peeps that I have) even affirming. Mom and Dad came down to help with everything from packing breakables (thanks Mom) to driving the UHaul (thanks Dad) and just about everything in between. Zach and T helped with loading, Spanish and general good friend supportiveness. Julie (AKA Big Pink and landscaper extraordinaire) connected me with some VERY able loading help who made a flight of stairs and my love for books (and the boxes they create) seem like no big deal. K got everything ready on this end from making a place (both physically and emotionally) for me and rounding up some guys to help unload the truck when we arrived tired and sore on Saturday night. I even had a "welcome to town/congrats on the new job" card from K's parents waiting for me when I arrived. It has been such a huge effort and it feels good to know that the people I love have helped me get here. What a blessing.

The View from Here

There are boxes as far as the eye can see. Boxes and tape and semi-organized looking piles of stuff awaiting boxes and tape. In previous moves I have been time-pressed into a frantic/rushed "throw whatever you can in a box" approach, but not this move. This move has allowed me the freedom to luxuriate in what has been called (by competent professionals;) ) the "obsessive compulsive" features of my personality. Oh, it's a beautiful thing. The structure and preparedness of it. Knowing that I am leaving with what I want and need and leaving behind what I don't. Quite freeing, actually.

Of course, that line of thinking works best with stuff. It doesn't work so well with people. Sometimes you have to leave people that you want and need. As much as you might want to strap them to the top of your car (for oh so many reasons), people just aren't up for that. So, I've decided I'm not leaving.

Relocating? Yes.
Leaving? No.

You don't leave people who are your family. Sometimes you move and you have to make adjustments to find a new groove, but you don't leave.

Rise and Shine (Anna Quindlen)

I've read everything (both fiction and non-fiction) that Anna Quindlen has written and I always enjoy her brand of storytelling. She delves deeply into her characters and their emotional lives. This book was an interesting look at a relationship between sisters. Bridget, a social worker with a NYPD detective boyfriend and Meghan, a high-powered morning TV personality (I pictured Katie Couric) with a husband and a son. The story is told by Bridget who experiences the career and life struggles of her sister in a way that is both close and distant. As someone who doesn't have a sister, this story drew me right in. The complexity of their connection. The sense that each woman understands herself largely with reference to the other. The hyper-closeness between them contrasted with their striking distance.

We are Family!

I spent the weekend in Mississippi with the fam. Sunday was the annual Gray family reunion. This event has taken place every summer since 1932. We are most certainly a tradition-loving people. I have spent this Sunday at Wal Doxey state park almost every year of my life. Visiting with everyone, eating (OK overeating), sharing pictures and stories, hugging and being hugged. The reunion unfolds the same way year after year. Peepa arrives first (around 9:30) and the whole crowd has congregated by 10:30 or 11:00. The Gray's head for the right side of the pavilion and the Black's take the left. We talk across the tables, but we stick to our sides in a funny way. The Blacks are a family whose children were taken in by my family (the Gray's) when their parents passed away. I think this happened in the 30's. Since then, the Grays and the Blacks have gathered as a family year after year. This year's reunion was nice and cool. It felt good to see everyone. It also felt good to eat some of my favorite things: Craig's Green Tomato Pie, Mary's Creamed Corn, and Pam's Chocolate Cobbler. Yum!


The remainder of the long weekend was spent with two of my favorite folks, Mom and Dad. Are they cute or what? We had a great time. Talking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company.


Highlights from the weekend include:
1. Tapas on the porch (aren't we fancy?!)
2. Dad's swank new "dress" Crocs in chocolate brown - Happy (late) Father's Day!!
3. The Next Food Network Star marathon during our post-reunion food coma
4. Dining at Longhorn after Mom's long campaign to get one in their area (no jackalope, but still fun)
5. Seeing the lake where Wheedler (the duck - yes, he has a name) has been relocated
6. Drinking coffee and watching the Today show together
7. Hearing my Mom's friends talk about how much they love her
8. Playing with my cousin's boys (Luke and Russ)
9. Falling asleep in their great leather couches
10. Getting ready in the AM with Mom

2peas Challenge - Creativity

Today's challenge on 2peas is to blog about the things that keep you from creating. So, here goes....

1. Tests/papers/projects to be graded
2. Feeling sad
3. Feeling disconnected from my life and out of touch with myself
4. Deadlines
5. Trying to get it "just right"
6. A messy house
7. Being out of balance

And because I am a "glass half full" kind of girl, this challenge has led me to thinking about the things that encourage creativity. So, here is the other side of the coin...

1. A really good story
2. Flipping through magazines - not actually reading them, but just taking in the colors and images
3. Feeling loved
4. Eating a really good, interesting meal
5. Watching certain reality shows on Bravo (Project Runway, Top Chef) - not intellectual, but stimulating in other ways
6. Feeling connected with my life
7. New patterned paper and fonts
8. Browsing in a book or music store
9. Kissing ;)
10. Coffee in a lovely mug
11. Organizing my supplies
12. "Faded, soft T-shirt" kind of music
13. Going on long walks in comfortable weather
14. An interesting conversation
15. Watching Gadget play

Adventures in Duct Tape and Dog Showers

Have you seen anything cuter than these two? I doubt it. This is K outfitted with a small boa named Max. Max is a "country" bichon. A bichon born for the outdoors. During our afternoon hike this little man was quite a trooper. Sure, he's not quite as rugged as Kharma but he certainly seemed to enjoy our adventure. I did too. It was a great weekend. Good friends and good conversations.

In addition to what you might expect from a good weekend get-away, our vacation included miniature horses. Five of them. K's Mom cares for what has been referred to as a basketball team of minis. I am fascinated by these guys. Max appears to share my sentiments.

Miniature horses aside, the best part of the weekend was spending time with friends. T cooked us some great meals (she loves a good cooking pose) and we managed to watch a Christopher Guest movie that was almost good. Perhaps the "bad movie" curse has been lifted. I'm so glad that the six of us were able to spend time together. So very much to look forward to!

Reading Update

I did do some reading during my blog hiatus. Here is what I was up to in the "bookish" department....

Wickett's Remedy (Myla Godberg)
72 Hour Hold (Bebe Moore Campbell)
The Myth of You and Me (Leah Stewart)
The Dance of Deception (Harriet Lerner)
Art of Mending (Elizabeth Berg)
The Man of My Dreams (Curtis Sittenfield)
And Never Let Her Go (Ann Rule)
Lighthousekeeping (Jeanette Winterson)
Marker (Robin Cook)
I'm Not Myself These Days (Josh Kilner-Purcell)
Diana Lively is Falling Down (Shelia Curran)
Make Him Look Good (Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez)
Death in Belmont (Sebastian Junger)
The Year the Music Changed (Diane Thomas)
A Walk in Prague (Myla Goldberg)
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (Lorna Landvick)
Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do (Pearl Cleage)
I Wish I Had a Red Dress (Pearl Cleage)
The Other Boelyn Girl (Phillapa Greggory)
Girl Meets God (Lauren Weiner)
To Have and to Hold (Jane Green)
Digital Fortress (Dan Brown)
Now It's My Turn (Mary Cheney)
Lost and Found (Carolyn Pakhurst)
Married to a Stranger (Patricia MacDonald)
I am Charlotte Simmons (Tom Wolfe)
Sellevision (Augusten Burroughs)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See)
Everyone is Welcome Here (Ellizabeth Berg)
Until I Find You (John Irving)

If I Were a Dog

someone would have taken me to the groomers long ago. Unfortunately for me and much to the chagrin of T, the upkeep of my hair is up to me. Yesterday I decided that enough was enough. My attempt to bring back the mullett wasn't working and I was in desperate need of a new look. So, today I'm looking a little more like an adult. Finally my hair means it again. Now if I only I could find a way to take my own picture that didn't make me feel and look like a big goob.